1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to self-service checkout systems for retail businesses and, more particularly, to a self-service checkout system having an automatic electronic article surveillance system.
2. Background Information
Many general merchandise stores and an increasing number of retail grocery, supermarket, or food stores utilize electronic article surveillance (EAS) techniques to monitor, deter, and/or prevent article theft. EAS technology typically utilizes a tag or the like that is applied to an article and a sensor designed to detect the tag when the tag is proximate the sensor. The sensor is typically placed at or near an exit and provides a response when a tag is brought proximate the sensor. A deactivator is used to deactivate a tag such that the sensor will not respond when a deactivated tag is brought proximate the sensor.
The tag deactivation procedure is typically based on having a trained operator in an assisted service environment. Particularly, a trained operator either removes the tag or utilizes the deactivator on the tag to deactivate the tag. This is accomplished during or immediately after the purchase transaction. Thus, once payment has been received for the item, the tag will not set off the sensor.
EAS technology consists of two primary types. The most currently popular type is manufactured by Sensormatic Electronics Corporation of Boca Raton, Fla. 33431 (Sensormatic). The Sensormatic EAS is based on magnetic technology and requires relatively large tags and correspondingly large deactivation equipment.
Current or conventional implementation of the magnetic technology EAS in self-service checkout or self checkout involves placing a deactivator or deactivator block directly inline with a scanning and bagging portion or operation of the self checkout. Since the deactivator is large and heavy, placement of the deactivator directly inline with the scanning and bagging operation is an impediment to the essential functions of scanning and bagging, thereby causing a decrease in efficiency, adding time to the self checkout procedure, and consequently causing customer dissatisfaction.
The conventional method of implementation in a self checkout is illustrated in FIG. 1 and is thus labeled “prior art”. The conventional method of implementation in a self checkout is illustrated in FIG. 1 as a flowchart, generally designated 200. In step 202, a customer scans an item. The item may or may not include an EAS tag. In step 204, a deactivator is either activated to deactivate an EAS tag after the scanning process regardless of whether the item has an EAS tag or the deactivator is always on to deactivate an EAS tag regardless of whether the item has an EAS tag. In step 206, the item is then bagged. A weighing process may be associated with the bagging of the item. After the bagging process, in step 208, the purchase transaction is completed. It should be appreciated that should there be more than one item, the scan, deactivation and bagging of each item is accomplished in the above manner before the completion of the purchase transaction.
In the event that an EAS tag is not properly deactivated through the scanning and bagging process, the customer will be stopped at the store exit by a store employee when a notification alert (such as a loud noise) is provided by the sensor. A store employee will either have to allow the customer to pass knowing they have an activated EAS tag (assuming the store employee knows that the item to which the EAS tag is associated, has been properly paid for) or the store employee will have to deactivate the item to which the EAS tag is associated. In the case of multiple items with EAS tags, each tag will need to be deactivated by the store employee.
The above nuisance of non-deactivation or underdeactivation of EAS tags has been addressed by increasing the magnetic field strength of the deactivator. This solution however, can result in damage to other magnetic media (i.e. non-EAS tags) such as credit and/or debit cards, VCR tapes, cassette tapes, and/or the like. Because of the above-noted consequences, increasing the magnetic field strength of the deactivator is not desirable.
It would thus be advantageous to have prior knowledge of which items have been tagged with an EAS tag and provide an alert to the customer when an item having such a tag is scanned and then direct the customer to deactivate the EAS tag. In this manner, the EAS deactivator may be remotely located from the scanning and bagging operation. One manner in which the self checkout or store can have prior knowledge of which items have been tagged with an EAS tag is to correlate the EAS tag with the item's Uniform Product Code (UPC) that now allow the lookup of price and weight information. This solution, however, requires another database or database entry and the requirement of accurate correlating information. Additionally, stores traditionally do not compile and/or maintain such data.
What is therefore needed is a self-service checkout system that overcomes one or more of the above-mentioned drawbacks. What is particularly needed is a self-service checkout system that implements EAS technology in a more effective manner than the prior art.
What is further needed is a self-service checkout system that utilizes EAS technology in a more efficient manner than the prior art.